West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-07-21
PRESTON Co., w. VA.

Your correspondent thinks there,
perhaps. is no State in the Union
which possesses the natural adYan-
tages, mineral wealth. aud opportu.
nifty for agricultural ard industrial
improvements as the Mountain State.
However he does not propose in this
letter to call attention to any of the
iron, coal or manufacturing interests
along the great Ohio. from the Pan
Handle to Parkersburg, or south
through the Kanawha valley. but upon
the contrary TO confine himself To n
short description of the hea.thfulness
of climate, and rich mineral resources
and manufacturing indications in the
county of Preston. As your reporter
is Democrat, he will do the justice
to say of this prosperous people, who
compose the banner county of the
Republicans in this State, that they
are happy and contented. making and
almost coming money. and engaged
principally in agricultural or mining
pursuits. and living in a style and
enjoying pleasures and privileges of
which the resident of q city feels en-.
viOus. But 10 the narrative, for we
don't wish to be loo long in commenc.
ing, nor in concluding, recognizing
at best that our story will prove to be
little in much" instead of illustra.
ting the old latin maxim, Multum IL
Pa 20.
Newburg is village Of perhaps a
thousand Inhabitants in Preston coun.
" on the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road and about as far east of Grafton
as that city is from Clarksburg. Just
prior to the war nearly all that terri.
tory comprising that burg was pur-
chased by Captain Smoot. one OF
Preston county's most prominent.
wealthy and influential citizens.
Shortly after he became the owner,
the railroad was built and he found
large sale, at high prices, for the land
which he had the business sagacity
to divide up into town lots, quite q
number of which he still owns. ThrO'
good luck he has become independ.
emily rich and is now identified with
almost every successful enterprise in
that county and conducting at pres
ent large mercantile business at
Newburg and operating half dozen
or more saw mills in Preston and adj.
join ng counties and acquiring con-
siderable property in the land be-
tween Newburg and Morgant0wr,
which is underlaid with rich veins of
coal, and but little inferior TO the
Harrison county coal, which unques-
tioDably is the best In the State.
Newburg called to the mind of your
correspondent the fearful accident of
February 1885, where so many brave
miners per!shed in the shaft at the
Orrel mines. He wi never forget
that awful scene while he chrOnicled
for the daily papers the anguish of
more than fifty families which were
directly affected by the saddest acct.
dent that ever occurred in Preston
county. He remembers well the
sight of near two dozen dead bodies,
OF seeing the collins and the funeral
cortege in which nearly every citizen
OF Newburg participated. with fearful
eye and saddened heart. But it is
not so now. The derrick ard the
shaft which had been almost totally
destroyed by the fearful gas explo-
sion have been replaced End men,
without fear, are again descending
into the earth, by means Of the shaft,
to depth Of 500 feet and labOring
in the mines below which extend into
the mountain for miles 10 bring forth
tue black diamonds for which there
is such a demand throughout the
world. Besides the great coke ovens
that were in operation in 1885, there
has been recently erected eighty -four
which are furnishing daily an add
tiOnally thousands Of tons of coke,
TO say nothing Of the extensive trade
in coal with the great East.
TunDelton,a few miles east Of New.
burg, is also a prosperous little vii.
lage. Among the prominent enter
prises TO which our attention was
called, was the contemplated railroad
TO be built from that place TO King
wood, which is the county seat. The
bed Of the road lie graded, and all the
cross ties ready 10 be placed, and it
Is likely that the work is more than
half completed. In a very short time
after the rolling stock is procured